Yugi in Wonderland
by VannuroRB
Summary: Yugi falls into a strange and bizarre world, can he find his way out before he loses his head?


So, I wanted to join the Alice in Wonderland bandwagon.

Don't judge me!

* * *

Yugi in Wonderland~

The teacher continued to lecture to the bored class, oblivious to the students, who were drooping and amusing themselves in their own little ways. Sitting at the back of the class was the young king of games, Yugi Mutou, barely keeping his eyes open and his mind on the topic of his class.

It had been a long day, and the previous night he had stayed up later than he should have, to study for the maths test he had that day. It left him exhausted for the rest of his school day, but he did not have long to wait, it was only an hour or more until he could return home. His friends did not have anything planned for after school, so he was guaranteed to head home straight away, and would most likely not be bothered again at all. It seemed like a perfect, flawless plan. He only wished it would happen sooner, rather than later.

Yugi sat up with a sharp gasp as he heard the school bell, its deep and loud song rang through the school walls, indicating that it was the end of the school day. Yugi stared ahead of him, perplexed for a few moments, before he looked around the entire classroom. It was empty.

He was sure he must have dozed off in class, having being startled awake by the bell, but to have the classroom empty—and for no one to wake Yugi up before hand—baffled the young teen. He tried to shrug it off, thinking that everyone had simply gone home, and that he should do so too. He stood up from his desk, picked up his school bag, and headed to the door to leave. Though he was still confused about the empty school, he tried to press on with leaving the building, wondering if his grandfather noticed he was taking a long time.

"Kuuuu!"

"Huh?" Yugi stopped, turning around, and looking down the corridor.

A few doors down, the small messy haired creature Kuriboh floated, bouncing up and down in delight at Yugi. The teen stared, having only known Kuriboh through his duelling, and not as his own entity. However, Yugi found himself turning towards Kuriboh, and walk closer to him. His chirpy call echoed down the corridor, and encouraging Yugi to approach him.

"Kuriboh?" Yugi called out to the creature "What are you doing here?"

As Yugi took a few steps closer, Kuriboh turned, and began bouncing away. At Kuriboh's speedy nature, Yugi took into a jog to keep up with Kuriboh, barely coming to a halt when Kuriboh did. The creature looked to Yugi to make sure he was following, before turning to the door it had stopped at, and jumped through it. Yugi stared confused at the wood, seeing no damage caused by the creature, but also curious as to when Kuriboh could pass through thick objects.

Yugi slid open the door, peering into the classroom to find Kuriboh, however, he had disappeared. Allowing himself to enter, Yugi gazed over the empty classroom, questioning where all the furniture and Kuriboh had gone.

"Kuriboh?" Yugi walked further into the classroom, hoping to find some sort of hidden hole "Where'd you go Kuriboh?"

Yugi then looked down at his feet, hearing cracking and creaking from the floorboards, his eyes widened at the large cracks that had appeared in the floor. Yugi's body went stiff as the cracks continued to spread, like veins in the floor, reaching to every edge and corner it could. One wrong move and Yugi would find himself falling down to the next level. Biting his lip, Yugi watched the lines spread further, and knew he had to make a move to safety.

As soon as Yugi moved his foot, the floor gave a groan, and gave way under his feet. Shards of wood broke from its holding position, and revealed the dark abyss, hidden underneath the school floor.

Yugi gave a scream, attempting to reach the door with the little stability he had, but it happened all too fast and he fell through. Plunged into the darkness, Yugi watched the soft light from the classrooms disappear from his fingers, not knowing what was going to wait for him at the bottom.

After what seemed like forever, Yugi finally hit something, giving an 'oof' when he hit into the soft and lumpy surface. Yugi rubbed his back, looking up to the pale blue sky that was above him, where he had apparently fallen from. It was questionable as to why he had fallen from a sky, but it was more questionable as to why the school floor broke under his feet, or why Kuriboh had appeared. The questions would, most likely, never get any answers.

Yugi looked around the area, looking up at the tall forest around him and the strangely overgrown flowers that were taller than he was, seeing that he had landed on one of the brightly coloured flowers. The atmosphere of the place seemed strikingly familiar, the nonsensical and overly colourful appearance reminded Yugi of something, though what only added to his ever growing questions.

"I guess…I should get down from this flower" Yugi murmured, leaning over the edge, and making a quick estimation on how high up he was "I can't jump down…ah!"

The flower tilted itself, letting Yugi's body slide over its petals, before he ended up on another flower. It too began to move, leaning to a lower flower below it, so Yugi would slide onto it. The smaller flower seemed to bend under Yugi's weight, but managed to tilt itself the other direction, allowing Yugi to gently ease his body off the flower and hop down to the ground. With a sigh, Yugi looked up to the towering flowers, and then looked around at the overgrown forest around him.

"Right…well…thank you" Yugi said, turning to a rough, narrow path through the trees "I guess…I should head this way".

Yugi began walking, unable to keep his eyes off the strange plants as he walked by them, wondering what species of plant they were from. As Yugi walked along the path, it became winding and twisting, and on several occasions overlapped itself. It became confusing for Yugi to keep up, but still he persisted through the woods, hoping that somehow everything would be explained to him. At the end of the path, was a house.

It was a small thatched cottage, something Yugi had not seen, living in such a city as he did. There were flower baskets hanging from the wall, and small painted ornaments scattered around the yard to make it prettier, and the chimney let out a faint trail of smoke. It seemed like the house had come straight out of a fairy tale, and seemed misplaced in such tangling woods, Yugi approached it regardless.

Coming to the wooden door, Yugi knocked on it a few times, and waited for an answer. He knew someone had to be inside, knowing no one would let a house take care of a fire by itself, so his chances that he would receive help was high.

The door opened, and Yugi was about to speak, but the blond beat him to it "Can I help you?" Joey asked.

"Joey?" Yugi felt a relieved smile bless his face "You're here too? That's great!" Yugi then gave a frown "What are you doing here actually?"

"I work here" Joey answered, thumbing to the inside of the house "For the Duchess".

"The…Duchess…?" Yugi repeated slowly, unsure how to react to such formality.

"Did you want to meet the Duchess?" Joey inquired.

"Umm…yes…" Yugi answered, nodding his head slowly "Yes I…did".

"Alright, come in then" Joey opened the door, stepping back to let Yugi walk in, before shutting it behind him.

The inside was one large room, a combination of a kitchen and sitting room together, with the large fire placed under the chimney mouth and chairs tucked to the other side of the room. A table holding various foods, as well as many knives, took up most of the kitchen rendering the remaining space redundant. In the middle of the room was a large throne like chair, in which sat a young girl, holding a bundle in her arms.

"Anzu?!" Yugi exclaimed, his mouth dropping open at the sight of his friend dressed in rich, extravagant clothing "You're the Duchess?!"

Anzu tilted her head, staring up and down Yugi, before voicing "Who are you?"

The question made Yugi's body twitch, bewildered by his friend's absence of memory "I-I'm Yugi. W-We're best friends, remember?"

"Hmph. I don't make 'best friends' with anyone" Anzu snorted, turning her head away in pride "You must be mistaken little boy".

"I'm not a little boy!" Yugi ended up spitting, turning to Joey "Joey, you remember me, right?!"

Joey gave a casual shrug, turning to the kitchen "Nope" He simply said, and returned to his duties.

Yugi stared at his two best friends in shock, unable to fathom why they did not remember him, and felt almost hurt that they were unable to recall all the good times they shared together.

"Well, you came here for a reason, did you not?" Anzu queried, pulling Yugi's attention back to her "What did you want?"

"Umm…well…directions I guess" Yugi muttered, rubbing his arm slightly "I…don't know where I am…"

"Ridiculous. You must know where you are, if you came here to see me right?" Anzu rolled her eyes at Yugi "Honestly, some people waste their opportunities by asking the stupidest of things".

"N-No, you see I didn't come here intentionally, I fell-"

"But you said you came here to see me right? Or are you a liar? I cannot tolerate liars".

"Oh…well…umm…"

Yugi gave a small jump at the knocking, turning to the door as Joey walked over to it, and opened it up once more. He conversed quickly with the other person, taking something off his hands, before shutting the door and walking over to Anzu. He held out the letter, offering it out to her.

"This came for you" Joey explained tiresomely, letting Anzu take it out of his hands "From the royals".

Anzu quickly tore open the top, retrieving the letter and reading through it, her expression changing from curious to concern. At the end of it, she gave a sigh, and pocketed the letter into her dress.

"I have to leave immediately" She declared, standing up and holding the bundle in her arms, she moved away from the chair and stood in front of Yugi "Will you take care of my baby?"

"B-Baby?!" Yugi repeated, looking at the bundle, and seeing the peaceful baby face it was hiding.

"I can't expect Joey to look after my baby, now can I?" Anzu forced the child into Yugi's hands, making Yugi take the bundle off her, in fear if they argued over it they would drop it. Once the baby was out of her hands, Anzu brushed off her dress, and walked to the door "Take care of my baby!"

"A-Anzu! Wait!"

The slam of the door made Yugi cringe, giving Yugi the hint that Anzu cared little about Yugi, and so he was stuck with the baby. Yugi kept his arms tight around the bundle, having never held a baby before in his life, and was too afraid he would drop it or let its head roll back.

Yugi turned to the kitchen when he heard sniggering, seeing Joey at the table once again, and chop something up with a knife. Though he said nothing, it was clear to Yugi what he was laughing at, and ended up scowling at his best friend for doing so.

"You do realise that's not the Duchess's baby right?" Joey asked, brandishing the knife around.

"Huh?"

Perplexed, Yugi stared down at the baby in his arms, wondering what Joey had meant. The once peaceful looking baby he had held had changed; its pale skin had been tainted to a tan like colour, its eyes wide and each looking in a different direction, and a rather large hole in the side of its head. The baby had turned into a doll, one that Yugi seemed to remember, but disturbed him nonetheless.

The doll turned its head to Yugi "Mama".

"Ah!"

Yugi tossed the doll aside, watching it roll across the floor, until it rested on its side by the foot of the chair. After a few moments, a person appeared by the doll, and picked it up into their arms. The blue astral being looked down at the doll, listening to its ramblings words, before they both disappeared from the house altogether.

Panicked and confused, Yugi found himself panting as he stared at the empty spot, trying to question what had happened exactly. He then turned to his best friend, who seemed at ease at what had happened, and continued doing his work in the kitchen. Composing himself, Yugi took deep breaths to calm his beating heart, and ran his hands through his hair.

"If you're looking for help" Joey spoke up, making Yugi twitch slightly at the silence being broken "I know there's this dude in the woods. Not far from here, just down the road, he might be able to help you out".

"Really?" Yugi gave a smile, and turned to the door "I'll go look for him. Do you want to come with me Joey?"

"Heh, I wish, I've got work to do" Joey smirked up at Yugi "Unlike some people, I actually have to pay my way through life. You go on your merry way, alright?"

"Are…you sure Joey?"

"Totally. I'm tougher than I look" Joey then waved his knife at Yugi "Go on, you've got places to be it seems".

"Well…okay Joey" Yugi turned the handle, allowing the door to gently swing open, before glancing back at his friend "I hope you can join with me soon".

"I hear ya" Joey replied, resuming his cooking.

Yugi bit his lip, debating if he should stay and attempt to convince Joey to come with him, but his friend seemed adamant to stay, and he was not even sure where his path was going to take him. He could find help, or run into more trouble. He figured if he found something worthwhile, he would return to the house, and convince Joey afterwards. So Yugi left his friend to his work, shutting the door behind him, and carried on down the road that led deeper into the forest. He only hoped that his friends—if more were in the place he was in—would be safe, and he could bring all of them back with him.

The further he went into the woods, the fainter the path became to follow, until it disappeared into thick grass and plants. But, by the time Yugi had realised it, he was unable to retrace his steps to find the path. He found himself lost in the woods. Trekking forwards made Yugi more disorientated, questioning if he had walked around in circles, as some sights became familiar to him. With no clear path, and nothing to help him proceed, Yugi began to wonder if he was going to die in the forest alone.

After a while however, he pushed through some large leaves, only to cough and cringe at the repulsive smoke cloud. It hung around the trees like a lasso, acting like a mist, it clogged up any form of fresh air. Yugi covered his nose, but moved through the smoke wall, looking to see what kind of fire had caused such a mess.

"This place smells" Yugi grunted in disgust, barely making out the shapes of plants nearby "What's going on?"

Seeing a small pocket of empty air, Yugi took no time it walking over to it, and breathing in large breaths of air. Once his lungs were clean from the smoke, he looked up at the area around him, seeing that he had stumbled upon a group of overgrown mushrooms. All of them were different coloured, and with mismatching spots on them, making Yugi wonder if they were supposed to be poisonous. Yugi moved closer to one of the nearer mushrooms, seeing a person sit upon the mushroom cap, a cigarette in his hand where the smoke poured out.

"K-Kaiba?!" Yugi called up, gaining the tall male's attention "Wh-What are you…when did you start smoking?"

Kaiba ignored Yugi's question, putting the cigarette into his mouth, and drawing a deep breath. Removing it again, Kaiba puffed out another large cloud of smoke, before turning down at Yugi. His usual, cold glare set on Yugi, before speaking.

"Who are you?" Kaiba asked.

"Huh? It's me, Yugi" Yugi answered, staring in confusion "You should know me".

"The name doesn't ring a bell" Kaiba muttered "Who are you?"

"Uhh…Mutou then".

"Who are you?"

At the repeating question, Yugi found himself frowning at his rival "Well, how about King of games? Does that ring a bell?"

Kaiba breathed in on his cigarette, holding in his breath while he turned to Yugi, before breathing the cloud of smoke into Yugi's face. The small male coughed ferociously, swiping the smoke away and glaring up at the male.

"Who. Are. You?"

"What the hell's wrong with you Kaiba?!" Yugi managed to snap back "You know exactly who I am! Don't be so obtuse!"

"Such a tongue" Kaiba commented, resting back as he puffed out several clouds into the air "Do you speak to your mother with that tongue?"

Yugi gave a sigh, and crossed his arms in a stubborn manner "So, I take it you're the person I have to see for directions, am I right?"

"Maybe" Kaiba replied.

"Maybe? What do you mean by maybe?"

"It depends on where you want to go. Where is it you want to go?"

"Well, I want to…" Yugi fell silent, frowning in thought, before looking down at the ground "I…well…I suppose I want to-"

"Be careful, I will only answer one of your questions" Kaiba interrupted, tapping his cigarette over the edge of the mushroom, allowing a few clumps of ash to fall "So make sure you really want to ask it".

Yugi bit his lip, knowing he should ask about where to go, but he did not even know where he was at the moment. With only one question to ask, he was not sure if he was going to get all the answers he wished to hear. Regardless, he felt he should at least be pointed towards someone else, so they could fulfil all of his questions.

"Well, I guess I should ask who else is in this forest" Yugi spoke, looking up to Kaiba "Who's the nearest one to me?"

Kaiba gave a hum, inhaling on his cigarette again, while his other hand gave a lazy point off into the woods "Over that way, leads to a path" Kaiba answered "I saw several people down that path, don't know what they were doing, but there's your answer".

"That way huh?" Yugi walked round the mushroom, coughing and fanning the air as he walked into the smoke, attempting to make through it "You need to cut down on the smoking Kaiba. You'll kill something at this rate".

"Hm. What I was hoping" Kaiba muttered, watching Yugi cough and heave as he disappeared into the woods, letting Kaiba enjoy his solitude and smoke in peace.

Yugi ventured further away from Kaiba, grateful that he reached the point where the smoke stopped, and he could breathe easily again. He continued on in the direction Kaiba had pointed to him, keeping his eyes open for any type of path he could find, and with luck in his favour he found the track again. The narrow dirt path twisted its way around trees and bushes, acting almost like a race course, but a path nonetheless through the woods. Yugi followed it, making sure not to take his feet off it for a second, as he continued his journey through the woods.

However, after a while of proceeding down the path, Yugi felt a strange sensation on the back of his neck. The ends of his hair being played with, and his skin being brushed by a ghostly touch. Yugi felt his back cringe, and slapped his hand onto the back of his neck, hoping that if it were a bug he had squashed it and it would leave him alone. But after a few more steps ahead, the sensation came back, provoking the same reaction from Yugi a couple of more times. The process repeated in an annoying circle, the tickle came, and Yugi tried to swat it away until he moved ahead.

After the fifth time, Yugi turned around, expecting to see someone. But the path was empty, and he was the only person standing on it.

"Jeez, what the hell's going on?" Yugi mumbled, his back cringing when it happened again "Stop it!" Yugi yelled, spinning around again.

With a lifeless view of only the woods, Yugi marched on, keeping his eyes to the tops of the trees to spot any movement. The walk seemed to be quiet after that, no taunting on his skin as he turned a corner; he figured the rest of the walk would be peaceful and alone.

Yugi stopped when he came to a fork in the road, two paths splitting into different directions, wrapped around a large bulky tree. Stuck in the ground was a signpost, and on closer inspection, read simply "left" and "right". At the useless signpost, Yugi put his hands on his hips.

"Well that's ridiculous" Yugi grumbled to himself "How am I supposed to know where I'm going?"

"That's just it, you won't know where you're going".

The second voice made Yugi jump, looking around him in all directions, but failing spot anyone at all "Up here".

Yugi turned back to the signpost, then looking up into the tree, Yugi spotted Marik sitting on a branch. He had an unusual happy grin on his face, as he watched Yugi from his perch in the tree, and rested his head in his hand.

"Marik? What are you doing up there?" Yugi queried, moving closer to the tree.

"Enjoying the sun" Marik remarked, never ceasing his grin "A little lost are we?"

"Sort of" Yugi mumbled "Kaiba said I could find people this way…but…he didn't say there was a crossroads".

"You never asked though, did you?" Marik gave a hum, rolling his head back slightly in thought "You just asked which way people are".

"I guess…do you know where they are?"

"Of course. Some are down the right, and some are down the left".

"Oh…" Yugi gave a sigh, looking both ways "I guess it doesn't matter which way I go, does it?"

"Hmm, hmm. Depends which type of people you want to meet".

"Type?" Yugi repeated "What do you mean?"

"Well it's simple" Yugi turned his head when he felt a tapping, feeling his body tense when a hand floated by his side, and gave a small wave before pointing to the right "Down the right you'll meet an eccentric group, and down the left" The hand then shifted, pointing to the left "You'll meet some liars. Which do you prefer?"

"Uhh…I…I don't…know…" Yugi kept his eyes on the hand, watching it turn back to him, give another wave, before returning to Marik where it fitted back onto his wrist "H-How can you do that?"

"Oh it's very simple. You've just got to" Marik placed both his hands on his face, easing it up so it detached from his neck, and making Yugi turn pale "Let go I suppose".

"Oh…that's gross" Yugi placed his hands over his lips, hoping he could restrain himself.

"A little queasy are we?" Marik asked, rolling his head down both his arms.

Yugi closed his eyes, shaking his head "Please stop!"

"Such manners" Marik took hold of his head, fitting it back on before relaxing casually "So, which way did you wish to go again?"

Yugi gave a hum, looking down both ways before turning to the left "Well…I don't really want to be with mad people".

"Oh, well there's no helping that" Said Marik "Everyone here is mad".

"I can see" Yugi gave a sigh, before walking on down the left path "See you around Marik".

"Farewells to you too" Marik watched Yugi disappear, before sitting up, and allowing his body to turn invisible.

The path kept straight, but stretched out long in front of Yugi, as he continued walking down it. His eyes kept glancing to the sides of the road, believing he saw things move in the corner of his eyes, and quickly became paranoid that he was being watched. Though with no actual proof that he was being spied upon, Yugi felt that he was simply overreacting, and proceeded to walk on ahead. However, after taking a few steps ahead, he was quickly stopped. Two people jumped out from the undergrowth and stood in front of Yugi, their simple presence startled Yugi, causing him to give a short scream and stumble back. Once calming himself he turned to the two strangers, staring in confusion, and resorting to rubbing his eyes a couple of times.

Ryou Bakura stood in his way, blocking Yugi from walking further down the path, and an identical twin stood tightly by his side. However, the twin seemed different than the original Bakura, almost menacing towards Yugi. Unnerved by the second Bakura, Yugi turned to the first Bakura, feeling that it was more his friend than the other one.

"Wh-What are you doing here Bakura?" Yugi asked.

"We are-" The first began.

"-Playing a game" The second finished.

Yugi gave a confused frown at the strange speech, but tried to brush it off, and returned to his friend "Well…can I get past? I would really like to leave this place".

"Nope!"

"Nuh!"

"What? Why not?"  
"You have to beat our quiz!" They both said in unison.

Yugi raised his brow up, thinking of it as some practical joke, but quickly dismissed it. With a simple shrug, he gave a sigh "Alright, I'll do this quiz. What do I have to do?"

"You must answer all three questions-" The first Bakura explained.

"-And answer them all correctly to pass" The seconded completed.

"And…if I were to get one wrong?" Yugi queried curiously.

"No pass!" They exclaimed, crossing theirs arms over to make an X shape.

"That's hardly fair".

"That's a Bakura's quiz fair!"

Yugi rolled his eyes, already convincing himself he was slowly going insane, and cleared his throat "Alright. Let's start this quiz then".

"Question number one!"

"Who was the first person you saw here?"

"The first person…?" Yugi thought back, and remembered Joey and Anzu in the little cottage, and gave a smile "It was Joey, obviously".

"WRONG!" They both shouted as loud as they could, making Yugi cower, and cover his ears.

"Wh-What? But he was!" Yugi tried to defend.

"Question number two!"

"What was the first gift you ever got?"  
Yugi bit his lip, and dug through his numerous memories of his childhood, trying to remember a specific gift that meant a lot to him. With a touch of metal on his neck, Yugi remembered the puzzle down the front of his shirt, and smiled to his friends.

"The millennium puzzle".

"WRONG!"  
"Oh come on! I can't remember that sort of thing!" Yugi spat.

"Question number three!"

"Which one of us is the real Bakura?"

Yugi looked between the two Bakura's, trying to determine any sort difference between them, aside from the threatening look the second gave. With two questions wrong, and with no clear differences between them, Yugi had to only guess his answer. Taking a few more moments, Yugi pointed to the Bakura on the left, watching wide grins spread from them.

"This one".

The Bakura's said nothing, and leaned in closer, prompting Yugi to lean closer as well "WRONG!" They nearly screamed.

Yugi stumbled back in surprise, and after making sure his hearing was not damaged, turned to the Bakura's with a vicious glare. They chuckled in unison, and stood tighter together than before, making it near impossible to pass them.

"There was no need to yell!" Yugi scolded "And I'm going past, whether you like it or not!"

Yugi attempted to march through them, but as soon as Yugi was in reach, the Bakura's pushed him back roughly. Yugi barely kept on his feet, but once regaining his balance, glared to the Bakura's.

"What the hell?!"

"Denied!"

"Yeah, well…screw you Bakura!" Yugi spat, turning on the spot, and walking away "Everyone is so annoying!"

"Bye-bye!"

Yugi only gave a fleeting gesture to the Bakura's, and retraced his steps back to the fork, hoping that the other path proved more fruitful. Once reaching the useless sign again, Yugi briefly glanced back to the path, starting to feel guilty for losing his temper at his friend.

"Lost already?" Marik's familiar voice asked.

Yugi looked up to the tree, and felt his head shrink into his shoulders, seeing Marik's visible head float in the tree. At Yugi's disgusted expression, Marik's grin grew wider, and his head rolled around playfully.

"Well…Ryou wasn't very helpful" Yugi gave a sigh, and looked up at Marik, ignoring his obvious detachment from his body "Are…do any of my friends remember me? At all?"

"Of course. It is just that memories are often misplaced" Marik explained, as his head bobbed to one of the branches, and casually sat itself a few feet above the branches "Jumbled up, like a jigsaw puzzle".

"Then…I-I should keep trying to make my friends remember. Maybe…we can all get out of this place alive…"

"Lovely dark thoughts".

Yugi looked to the path on the right, seeing it grow into the distance, much like the path to the left had "Well…maybe these other people can help me".

"Assuredly" Marik watched Yugi walk under the branch, before letting his head roll back, and dangle from the branch "Oh, and Yugi".

Yugi turned back to Marik, watching his upside down grin stretch to the tops of his cheeks "When you meet them, it's best to keep an open mind, alright?"

Yugi gave a nod, and turned back to the path, continuing ahead. Marik watched Yugi disappear further, before completely going invisible, and carrying on his own way.

Walking down the path, Yugi kept his eyes darting to each side of the path again, though found it pointless this time. Unlike Bakura's path, he felt no sense of spying, and was sure that he was alone down this path. More content with the peaceful walk, Yugi took his time to reach the other end, undisturbed by any interruptions from his friends.

When reaching to the end of the path, he watched the path curl around the edge of a garden wall, before coming to a stop in front of the gate. The wall was washed white and tall, making it hard for Yugi to see even on tiptoe, and he wondered if anyone was inside the garden at all. However, the sound of small chimes, and odd banter gave Yugi other impressions. Though the gate was only a few steps away, Yugi began bouncing on the spot, attempting to look over the garden wall. Jumping gave him the height he needed to peek over the edge, but with gravity pulling him back down, he saw little beyond the wall. With no improvement on jumping, Yugi stood as close to the wall as he could, before jumping and clinging on to the wall. His feet scrabbled against the smooth stone, but he eventually pulled his head above the wall, and gazed into the garden.

The garden consisted mostly of bright green grass and unevenly shaped bushes, there were no flowers or ponds, and not even a house was attached to the garden. In the middle of the garden was a small table, dressed in a floral pattern cloth, and many rows of teapots and cups lined along its centre. Though many of the hazel seats were left abandoned, three were taken by three gentlemen, who were all partaking in what seemed to be a tea party. They talked to each other quietly, so Yugi was unable to hear their conversation, but felt that it would be rube to eavesdrop anyway. Having pictured an unsightly appearance, Yugi was rather relieved to see such well-dressed men, and figured that they had to be polite and kind too.

Dropping from the wall, Yugi hurried to the garden gate, and pushed it open to let himself inside. He shut it behind him, and approached the end of the table, looking to the man that sat at the opposite end of the table.

"Um…excuse me, but, do you know of a way I can go home?" Yugi queried "I-I mean, I'd hate to be interrupting your tea party…"

"Not at all, in fact, you've arrived just in time" Yugi's mouth dropped open, as the man lifted his head up, letting his face be seen by Yugi "I'm glad you've arrived, Partner".

"Ph-Pharaoh?!" Yugi looked over to the other guests, only to feel his mouth drop wider.

The Dark magician sat to Yami's right, his arcane robes replaced by a purple European suit, along with a top hat. He ignored Yugi's intrusion, and continued to sip his tea at regular intervals, just like a gentleman would do. On Yami's left was Dark magician girl, who strangely was also dressed in a blue suit, and her top hat barely fitting on top of her gold head. However, Dark magician girl was unconscious, sleeping on the table with an empty tea cup resting in her hand. Yami was dressed in the gentlemen getup, though his were of much darker tones, breaking the bright and colourful party they held.

Trying to ignore the strange party they held—along with its guests—Yugi shook his head, and turned to Yami once more "Wh-What are you doing here pharaoh?"  
"Having a party, of course!" Yami's brow quirked up, and he scanned around the area, before leaning on the table "Does it not look like a party?"  
"Well…yes it does. But, that's not what I-"

"Here, you can have the best tea around, on the house".

Yami picked up one of the many teapots, and took one of the cups, and began pouring out the brewed tea. With the cup filled with the hot drink, Yami placed the teapot down, and slid the cup to the end of the table. The cup barely stopped at the end of the table, only halting by the ridges in the table cloth, though lost a small bit of tea on its journey. Yugi looked into the brown liquid, but managed to give a smile to his friend, and picked up the cup.

"Thanks…I guess" Yugi mumbled, about to sit down.  
"AH!" Yami said dramatically, making Yugi jump "You must turn first".

"Oh, right" Yugi turned the cup round several times.

"No! Not the cup!" Yami scolded "Yourself!"

"What? How would that help at all?" Yugi queried.

"It tastes better when you're drinking with your good side" Yami answered, sitting back in his seat, and drinking his own tea.

Too exhausted to argue back, Yugi set the cup down, and turned around several times. Beginning to feel dizzy, Yugi stopped himself, and finally sat down to drink the tea given. Yami watched Yugi with an eager grin, waiting until Yugi had drunk enough, before speaking again.

"So? Was it good?" Yami questioned.

"I…guess so" Yugi set the cup down "But I…I would really like to get back home-"

"Sshh!" Yami placed a finger against his lips, before pointing to Dark magician "It's not your turn. Dark magician here was telling an interesting theory before you interrupted. You must wait your turn".

"Uh…sure…"

"There, now" Yami turned to Dark magician, giving a pleasant smile "Do please continue".

As Dark magician cleared his throat, ready to discuss again, Yugi settled on drinking the rest of his tea while he waited. Though he was not sure when his turn would be, he knew better than to upset the pharaoh, as he remembered the many times their opponents did.

"Yes, well, I believe that we can make turtles fly".

Yugi choked on his tea, and after coughing violently, looked up to the hosts expecting to see mocking grins. Dark magician looked as solemn as death, Yami retained his polite and eager smile, and Dark magician girl was unconscious to the world. If it were a joke, the guests were very good at acting, and Yugi was missing the punch line.

"So interesting" Yami cooed, invested on Dark magician's idea "Do explain please".

"It's very simple" Dark magician explained, setting his cup down, and filling it with more tea "All we have to do is attach jet engines to their limbs, that way they will have enough force to lift themselves from the ocean, and into the air. It will be powered from their shells, which we all know contains high electricity, so there's no need to worry about batteries. I think we may also need to replace their tail with an engine, to help them steer and all".

"I see, I see".

"This…is strange" Yugi thought to himself, watching Yami and Dark magician banter more "Everything here is strange. But this…this definitely takes the cake".

"Alright partner" Yami patted the table, causing Dark magician girl to jump in her sleep "It's your turn!"

"Thank god" Yugi muttered "Well, I was hoping that you guys might know of a way out of here? Somewhere to return home that is".

"What kind of theory is that?" Yami questioned, pouting as he did so.

"Er…pardon?"  
"This tea party is to discuss all possible theories, if you don't have a theory to present, well, then you must leave!"

Giving a frown to his obviously intoxicated partner, Yugi rolled his eyes as he tried to think of a theory, not wanting another Bakura repeat. Yugi shook his brain for something ridiculous and bizarre, but after everything he had gone through, nearly everything seemed normal—aside from flying turtles. With a sigh, Yugi shrugged his shoulders, and mumbled.

"Talking trees?"

Yami rose his brow, and shook his head "Already been done" He informed.

"Well, talking animals".

"Too cliché".

"Well gee, how about…oh I don't know…a pink sugar coated sky!"

The idea sparked Yami's and Dark magician's interest, as they turned to Yugi, and leaned closer to the table "We're listening".

"Oh god" Yugi thought, and tried to produce an explanation for his outburst.

"Well, I think, we should build a really big vacuum" Yugi tapped his fingers on the table, thinking of the most ludicrous answer "And…suck in everything that has sugar, and is pink, and then…pump it into the sky?"

The two dwelled on Yugi's theory, nodding slowly in thought, before Yami turned to Dark magician and tapped his arm. The touch caught Dark magician's attention, and glanced back at Yami, seeing his eager grin.

"He's onto something there, don't you think?" Yami said.

"Yes, yes, very interesting" Dark magician agreed.

"Can't believe that worked" Yugi said, and took another sip of tea, to calm his nerves.

"Alright Dark magician girl, it's your turn" Yami sung, and turned to the sleeping woman.

Yugi waited a few moments, along with the other two, waiting to see if Dark magician girl would wake from her slumber. With no immediate response, Yugi set down the cup, and turned to Yami.

"I…think she's sleeping" Yugi reasoned.

"Oh yes, so she is" Yami uttered, as if he did not notice her asleep.

Yami gently took the top hat off of Dark magician girl's head, and sat it upside down on the table, while he decided between teapots. After choosing a large teapot, he began to pour the hot liquid into the hat, filling it up to the rim. Satisfied with what he had done, Yami picked up the hat again, and placed it back on Dark magician girl's head. The boiling brown brew drenched Dark magician girl, spoiling her golden locks and cute looks, but woke her up immediately. She gave a terrified gasp, and panted heavily as she looked around bewildered, making Yugi guilty for pointing out that she was asleep.

"It's your turn Dark magician girl" Yami repeated charmingly, not taking responsibility for what he had done.

After gathering her bearings, Dark magician girl gave a loud yawn, and held one finger up "I…believe we…in the…and…suf…uh…" Dark magician girl began to trail off, mumbling nonsensical words, and eventually stopped speaking altogether. She gave another yawn, before resting her head on the table, sleeping once more.

"She has such wise words" Yami commented, an impressed look on his face.

"I could barely hear her" Yugi muttered, watching her snuggle back into her arms.

The party carried on with Yami giving his thoughts on tiny invisible dwarfs, before passing it over to Dark magician, who gave the idea to feed dogs guns to make a dog gun. Each idea made Yugi groan and roll his eyes, wondering when his close friends had become insane, and why he had to see them act in such a silly way.

"Alright partner, your turn" Yami announced again.

"I don't have any more theories" Yugi explained heavily, a hand running through his hair "I just want directions, please".

"But where's the fun in that?" Yami whined pathetically.

"I don't want fun, I want to go home!"

"Well you'll get nowhere with that kind of attitude!"

Yugi let out a strong sigh "What happened to you Pharaoh?"  
"Madness, obviously" He retorted, and sipped his tea.

Yugi rubbed his eyes with his fingers, becoming tired of the madness of the tea party, and only wished for answers. It seemed that his exhaustion had been heard, as when he heard a small chirrup, he turned to see Kuriboh bouncing by his side.

"Kuriboh?!" Yugi glanced back to Yami, seeing him converse with Dark magician instead, so felt safe to speak with Kuriboh "What are you doing here? Can you show me the way out?"

Kuriboh gave another chip, before bouncing off into the nearby bushes, pushing through with a cheerful bounce. Yugi gave a perplexed stare, but slid off his seat, and walked over to the tangled bushes. The poking sticks and overgrown mess made it uncomfortable and unpleasing, but if Kuriboh was intending to show him the way out, he had no choice but to follow.

Yugi held out his hands, attempting to push away most of the branches, as he pressed forwards. The bushes poked and dug into Yugi's skin and clothes, but he continued walking through them, wondering when he'd hit the garden wall. After a while, however, the bushes parted and he ended up on the other side. Yugi gave a dazed look, and once clear of the bushes, stepped out into the clearing more.

Though he ended up in a garden, it was vastly different from his partners garden, and made Yugi look around in awe. A pure white path was placed through the middle of the garden, leading to an equally light looking castle. Rows of hedges grew many red roses, and some hedges were shaped to be dices, with the red roses representing the dots. Flags were stationed at far off corners of the garden, which gave the impression that the garden was much larger than what Yugi could see, though was strangely empty.

"Wow…this place is beautiful" Yugi whispered to himself, looking around again, making sure that he was alone "Someone must be rich to have a garden this large".

Yugi took a few steps down the path before stopping, seeing three men march down the path, dressed as army soldiers. Yugi could only guess they were guards to the castle, and wondered if he should greet them or avoid them, but reasoned that he was simply lost and that they would understand. The men had spotted Yugi further down, and stopped abruptly at his sight, causing them to collide and stumble awkwardly. Yugi watched them as they recollected their states, trying to decide if he should help them.

As the soldiers got their footing, they all pointed to Yugi, all in a state of astonishment "I-It's him!" One exclaimed.

"No doubt about it!" Another added.

"Um…h-hi-?"

"The criminal Yugi Mutou!"  
"What?!" Before Yugi could escape the guards, they rushed over to him, and grab his arms to capture him "H-Hey! I'm no criminal!"

"Bring him to the king!" The guards cheered, and with one taking the lead, they forcibly dragged Yugi into the castle.

Weak and unable to break free of their grip, Yugi could only walk alongside the guards, hoping that a terrible mistake had been made. Inside the castle the ceiling stretched far up, almost as high as the sky was, with all its details too insignificant to see. Wide marble covered corridors split off in several directions, all leading to various doors and rooms, with other guards patrolling the grand castle. As they walked down the corridor, various oil paintings hung on the wall, who Yugi presumed was their king. However, with the over exaggerated detail to make the king look handsome and regal, Yugi was left questioning the kings' identity.

They soon reached a double door, which the leader of the guards pushed open with a bang, and marched inside with Yugi "Your highness! We caught him!" He proudly declared.

He moved out of the way so that the king could gaze upon Yugi, and Yugi could stare at the king, dropping his mouth open as he watched the relaxed king twirl his hair.

"D-Duke?!" Yugi gasped.

Duke sat sideways in a tall throne, dressed in dice patterned robes, with gold jewellery hanging off every part of his body. Tilting his head lazily, he noticed Yugi, and sprung up to his feet with sudden eagerness.

"Finally!" He then pointed back to the door "Take him to the courtroom! We'll have that trial now!"

"What trial Duke?!" Yugi questioned, but was quickly pulled out of the throne room, and was unable to receive an answer from him.

The guards dragged Yugi to a small courtroom, moving him over to a raised pedestal, and brought up several bars around it so that Yugi could not escape. Yugi idly looked around, watching many guards take up position around the courtroom, and a man hurry inside to sit at a desk in front of the bench. Yugi attempted to speak to a few of the guards, ask them why he was in court, but they only gave him a glare and ordered him to be silent. With little progression, Yugi gave up, and simply leaned on the bars as he waited.

Duke took his time in appearing at the courtroom, and when he took the judges seat, Yugi noticed that Duke had changed his clothes to another dice patterned robe. After prepping himself in the judges' seat, the man that sat at the desk began writing very rapidly, letting a roll of paper begin to fall over the edge of the table.

"So, Yugi Mutou" Duke said with spite, and even glared at him a little "You have been found a cheater in the duel against Maximillion Pegasus".

"What? But Duke, I've already explained it to you before!"

"SILENCE IN MY COURT!" Duke yelled, making Yugi flinch at his loud voice "Anyway, you have been found a cheater in the duel against Maximillion Pegasus. Now, how do you plead? Guilty, or not guilty?"

"Well not guilty obviously".

"LIAR!"  
"Well why did you ask for my opinion then?!"  
"SILENCE IN MY COURT!"

Yugi gave a stubborn sigh, and crossed his arms over his chest, letting Duke run his court how he wished. After clearing his throat, Duke produced a small list, and quickly read through it before turning to the guards at the door.

"Alright, bring in the first witnesses!"

"What?" Yugi watched the guards open the door, before facing Duke "Why do you need witnesses if you're so sure I'm lying?"  
"Do you want to admit you're a dirty filthy cheater?" Duke queried.

"Absolutely not!"

"Then we'll have witnesses!"

"But no one saw it, there are no witnesses!"

"Sir, the first witnesses are here" The guards announced.

Yugi looked over his shoulder, his face falling as he stared at the familiar group, with their posh clothes and top hats. Yami took the lead of the group, with Dark magician following closely behind him, and a sleeping Dark magician girl in his arms. Yugi hit his head with his hand, and rested his body on the bar fence, knowing that his fate was sealed.

"First witness come to the witness stand" Duke called, pointing to the attached box next to him.

Yami walked up to the stand first, idly brushing the seat given, before sitting delicately with his hands hovering on his knees.

"So, what do you have to say about the culprit?" Duke asked.

Yami let out a small sigh, before turning to Duke "I have to say, he is quite mad" He replied "He thinks that he can create a pink sugar coated sky, by sucking pink things and shooting them to the sky".

"I see" Duke murmured in slight interest.

"Pharaoh! That's an opinion, not a fact!"

"SILENCE!"

Yugi bit his lip, but sent a scowl to Yami, showing that he was not amused by his friend's treason. Yami moved out of the witness box, and took Dark magician girl into his own arms, and let Dark magician take his seat. Once he was sat, Dark magician took out a cup and teapot, and began sipping on some more tea.

"And, what do you have to say about the culprit?"

Dark magician took a few sips from his tea, before setting his cup down, and turning to Duke "Nothing".

"Nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing".

"Huh" Duke then glanced to Dark magician girl "Bring her up next".

Dark magician got up from his seat, approaching Yami, and took Dark magician girl off of him. He then returned to the witness stand, and propped Dark magician girl in the chair, making it so that she sat perfectly in the chair. After watching her sleep soundly, Duke leaned closer, and poked her shoulder to disturb her.

Her eyes fluttered open, and after rubbing them, looked tiredly around the courtroom "And, what do you have to say about the culprit?"

Dark magician girl turned her head towards Duke, and began mumbling incoherently to him, making him lean closer to even hear her. Once she was finished, Dark magician gave a yawn, and snuggled into the chair.

"Oohh" Duke then leaned over the stand, staring down at the man who kept writing "That's very important, have you got it written down?"

The man gave a nervous nod, and continued to scribble hurriedly, noting down the ramblings of the tired girl.

"This cannot get any worse" Yugi groaned to himself, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"Bring in the duchess!" Duke called out.

Yugi felt his body jerk as the guards ushered Yami and the group out, and returned with Anzu, who seemed displeased by the whole ordeal. She was shown to the witness box, and once satisfied with its state, sat down ready to give her appeal.

"So, duchess, what do you have to say about the culprit?" Duke asked.

"Never in my life have I met such a heathen" Anzu spat, giving Yugi a look of disgust, before turning back to Duke "I gave him my baby to look after, and when I got back home, he had gone along with my baby!"

"It wasn't even a baby!" Yugi defended "It was a doll!"

"SILENCE!" Duke bellowed, hitting his fist on the wood, so it banged loudly. With Yugi falling silent once more, Duke composed himself, and sat facing towards Yugi "After all the evidence presented, it is my decision on what your punishment shall be, and I have decided that you shall be executed".

"What?!"

"Your head will be off!" Duke said again, drawing his thumb across his neck.

"You can't do this!" Yugi reasoned, as the bars were lowered, and the guards took hold of him to drag him away.

"I'm king aren't I?" Duke mocked with a grin.

Astounded by the remark—and lack of compassion—Yugi let the guards drag him away, too stunned to move by himself. The guards pulled Yugi outside and to the back of the castle, where a stage had already been set up, and a crowd had gathered around. On the stage was a chipped wooden block, and a man, who wielded a very large and sharp axe. Yugi swallowed thickly as he was brought closer to the executioner, staring up at the hungry axe, before he was pushed down on his knees. He sat in front of the wooden block, and barely had time to admire the red coat on it, before he was forced to rest his neck on the wood.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Duke called out to the crowd, gathering their attention to him "The criminal, Yugi Mutou, has been caught and ordered to be executed, by none other than me!"

An eruption of applause and cheers came from the crowd, giving Duke the opportunity to soak in the praise, before turning to the executioner.

"You can lop off his head now" Duke ordered, turning back to the crowd, gathering more of their support.

Yugi stared fearfully up at the man, he grabbed the axe with both of his hands, and raised it high above his head. It was going to hurt, Yugi was sure of it, and though he had the chance to try and run, he found his body freezing stiff out of terror. Yugi squeezed his eyes shut, and lowered his head, waiting for his final moments of life. The executioner brought down the axe, and everyone gave a loud gasp, and made Yugi even more curious.

Surely, if he had just been killed, he would not be able to hear the crowd at all. And even more so, he would not be able to feel anything, and yet he could. Yugi carefully opened his eyes, looking up, only to give a yelp when he was met with Marik's wild grin again. His head sat nicely on the edge of the stage, seemingly detached from his body, which pushed itself up from the block as well.

"I told you you've got to let go" Marik mocked, and waited for his body to walk round to the front of the stage, and pick up his head.

With his head safely in his hands, Marik placed his head back on his neck, twisting it left and right until it fit perfectly. Marik then turned to Duke, who was as amazed as everyone in the crowd, and gave him a small wave as he began to disappear.

"Toodles" Was all he said, before fading out of existence.

Duke continued to gawp idiotically at the spot, before turning to Yugi, and realising his head was still married to his neck.

"He's not dead!" Duke screeched.

Yugi looked up at the executioner, seeing him ready to swing his axe again, though this time there was no Marik to take the chop. Yugi forcibly pushed his body away, just as the axe stabbed itself into the wood, going several inches deep into the block. With the fear of his neck splitting open like the wood, Yugi jumped up to his feet, and ducked the guards as they made foolish attempts to grab him.

"I want his head to roll!" Duke declared, watching as Yugi fled to the large garden, attempting to escape the death penalty.

Yugi ran back to the hedges that he had entered from, hoping he could escape into the tea party garden, and find a way out that route. Yugi scrambled through the hedges, trying to feel his way around, before his hands ended up falling through. Without hesitation, Yugi fought his way through the bushes, so he could burst through the other side. Yugi took off into a run, only to give a shriek as he came to the edge of a large chasm, replacing the pleasing looking tea party garden.

Yugi tried his best to keep his balance, but with his feet barely on the edge of the valley, he fell into the bottomless pit. Yugi's scream echoed around him as he continued to fall, watching the light grow further and further away from him, as the chasm caved in and swallowed him whole.

"MR. MUTOU!"

With a loud slam, Yugi's eyes snapped open, and he sat up in his chair with a small startled yelp. A few of his fellow classmates sniggered at Yugi's panicked state, but once controlling his heavy panting, he looked around to realise that he was sitting in his classroom. After looking to his friends, Yugi looked up to his teacher, seeing a reminiscent scolding look on his face.

"While I'm aware that you need your sleep just as much as anyone else does Mr. Mutou" He said "Class is not the place where you can sleep. Don't let me catch you sleeping again, understood?"

"Y-Yes sir" Yugi replied, and watched the teacher return to the front of the class, resuming the lesson once again.

Yugi rubbed his tired eyes, and after giving the classroom one last perplexed gaze, rested his head in his hands to partake in the lesson. He could not believe that he had fallen asleep in class; furthermore, he could not believe he had such a bizarre dream while he was asleep. Thinking back to the dream, Yugi could not help but smile at all the ridiculous moments, and knew that it was one to tell his friends after class.

* * *

This was incredibly long!

Damn.

Doubt anyone made it to the end here…

Review if you like I suppose.

Guess I should get back to my normal stories now, ran out of one shots to do.

By the way, there is a modified Alice reference in this, see if you can guess what it was!


End file.
